1124 kilometres from the mouth  – same as yesterday.  Rest and planning day.

Booked the Euston lock for 10 am tomorrow. And then it will be 3 or 4 nights on the river until Mildura. 

Very pleasant breakfast on the grass next to the water.  2 course meal.  Oats and eggs and vegetables. 
Went to the office to sort my bill out and asked for a hardware store.  Got a few questions and the manager ended up making the bracket I needed for the wheels with his bandsaw.  It’s now high enough out of the water when I load up tomorrow.

There is  something I don’t understand about ants.  One grabbed an oat flake from the ground and took off over the grass.  I watched him/her for about 30 minutes trashing though the blades of grass hauling this huge lump of food.  Up one and down another blade.  Always heading in a perfect straight line.  When it got to a bare patch of ground it started  getting harassed by a bigger ant but still persisted in the same straight line.  Then it got to where I thought was nothing and it walked this way and that thinking I know it’s here somewhere.  Then it found it, a small hole.  Backed down it….  problem,  the oat flake won’t fit in the hole.  It jammed it in the top and later I saw that it was gone.  How did it know the bearing back to home?  It knew the bearing but not the exact spot because it looked for the exact spot when it got there.  We don’t need gps,  all we need is an ant  brain.

Probably limited phone reception over the next few days.

1124 kilometres from the mouth.

Relatively short paddle to Robinvale after all the hard work yesterday. 
Last night was very windy with a little rain.  Luckily the main storm cells went around me.
Long reaches,  no wind so all paddling. 
Arrived at the most beautiful caravan park.  Dragged the magnificent machine up on the grass and here I’m staying for two nights.

Not for beauties sake but I had a look at the map.  Mildura is 200 odd away and not much in between so will have to plan a bit.
Devin,  a CELTA teaching friend is working here,  so caught  up with him.

Slow day

1160 kilometres from the mouth.

Got away at daylight for a change.  3 guys were camped across the river from the boat ramp with two aluminium boats.  They caught me up later and we exchanged plans.  They are headed all the way and left Albury about  9 days ago.
Large reaches and no wind  in the morning.  All paddling.  About 2 pm the northerly came in at a blast.  Some of the reaches into the wind were a serious test but sometimes I got a free ride downhill afterwards.
Went through a fairly passive cutting at the end of the day and found a camp at about 6pm.
Some construction guys were installing a pump and as it turned out are beekeepers as well.  They interrupted their 100k journey home to Mildura to give me this.
There always has been something missing in the porridge in the morning.

While we are on  food here is dinner.  Protein,  vitamins and minerals, all you need as quickly as possible.

The good thing is the camp is close to the water.

Hard going today

1228 Kilometres to go to the mouth.

Had a good breakfast and slowly packed and left for the relatively short trip to Boundary Bend.  Large reaches and the mouth of the Murrumbidgee.  Not much larger than a creek.  I suppose when it floods it’s a different story.
Goats on the Victorian side,  in the park. Lots of eagles and the fishermen appear to be catching some.  Everyone I have asked up until now hasn’t been catching any.
Another cutting today.  I haven’t had any real trouble yet but I find them a little nerve racking.
A couple of camping  groups along the way staying longer term like 2 weeks. Most have the full setup with a solar electric pump on the bank for reticulated river water.  A kayak fisherman packing up to  go home,  the first I have seen in 900 kilometres.

It’s about 100 to Robinvale and there is a camp half way.  So two 50’s in a row. 

1255 kilometres from the mouth.
Left at 8 ie on the water.  Departed the caravan park at about 7:30. About a 500 meter wheel to the ramp.

The morning, about 3 hours,  was windy and the most turbulent water I have seen.  Can’t really see how they got paddle steamers through there.  Bends called the graveyard and the bitch with pups.  I assume it was called the bitch with pups was because they are angry (protective).  Some of the ledges are rock. 
After the Walkool River mouth,  large,  wide, long reaches and banks ranging from 3 meters to sometimes 20.
A couple were a hard slog against the south easterlies but generally got a bit of wind from each one.

I was expecting the camps to be rougher here but this place is great and there are more.

The northerlies are coming

Now set up for tomorrow.  Have to work out if I stop at Boundary Bend or bypass it and camp down the track.

1320 Kilometres from the mouth.  800 approx completed.

Left at 10, becoming a bit of a habit.  Lots of campers interested in what I am doing and I like a chat as well.
No wind but a reasonable current.  Saw the biggest fish eating eagle,  over a meter wing span.  It must have been there for a reason.
High banks with pretty thick mud on the banks. 
I had people tell me about clay rocks and met the first one today not sure what happens if you hit one.  Clay sounds soft.  Usually and this was the case today there was a lot of water swirling around and I imagine it would turn out ugly.
Went through another anabranch or cutting today around a place called Murphy’s island.  Looked ok at first but was very fast running and I was backing across the current to keep away from the snags a couple of times.  The second time I felt my heart rate go up for reasons other than exercise.  Saved about 6 k.
Rang the Tooleybuc caravan park and organised my site for the night which turned out to be the best ever.  Small but it’s got thick mown grass and a power point nearby. 
Shoulders and legs good today so for the big test tomorrow.  Will it be Boundary Bend or somewhere in the wilderness.
Slow day,  plenty of time.

There are several reasons I don’t drink alcohol but I need a reminder every now and again.  $21 for a juice and a straight scotch. 

1356 Kilometres from the mouth

Left at 10. Mainly because of where the beautiful machine was parked.  About 6 meters down a bank to the water.
John and Tim in the modified sailer had to organise a transport around the next section because of low water.  They will restart  their trip at Boundary Bend.

I came across this.  In a large reach,  in the middle with 200 meters of water either side, my paddle suddenly hit bottom.
In the morning large reaches with wind,  which is great. In the afternoon the wind died and I don’t think there will be any tomorrow  either.
Took the Annabranch around Beverage Island.  Saved a few kilometres. Looked more  like the Murray than an Annabranch.  After a while came across a private cable ferry with two heavy cables across the stream.  Put the sail down,  rudder up and backed over to the side where I could get  under.  Not sure how larger vessels would have coped.
Was thinking about going for Wood  Wood but when I found the free camping here I decided to stop.  Nyah,  this town appears to be struggling and have allowed free camping all over their River parks and the surrounds of the trotting track and oval.  Dozens of vans and motor homes here.
Shortish day tomorrow.  36 k to Tooleybuc.  Sneaking up on the large distance to Boundary Bend.  I think it will be two 50 plus with a rough camp in the middle.

1410 kilometres from the mouth.
Got away at 8 am.

Did 3 hours and had a stretch.  Fairly narrow and fast running.
Wind picked  up and sailed at about 10% of the time for another 3 to 4 hours.  Arrived Swan Hill about 4pm.  Shoulders were feeling it when I got here.
The guys with the modified sailing boat were here so got information about the caravan park.
Checked  in but  have to leave the beautiful machine on the water edge below the camp.
The landscape today was dry,  sheep and wheat, large property farms. Plus both under construction and built levies.

Have no plan for tomorrow other than to have breakfast.

1460 kilometres from the mouth.

Intended to leave at daylight but got delayed.  The wheels worked well down to the ramp but the sides dragged in the water when in travel mode.  So I had to go back and raise them up a bit. I just stuck the spare paddles under them for now.
Paddled for 3 hours with a break even hour for water and some food.  Some fishermen but quiet,  very quiet.  Heaps of snags and pretty narrow at times.  Moving into sheep country. 
Got out at 3 hours for lunch and a stretch.  While eating my lunch a small modified half cabin sailing boat came putting along with an outboard.  The navigator was sitting up the front in a camping chair with the maps in his lap. Great idea.  Just stop,  eat and sleep. They were heading for Mildura.
For the next six hours I got out once about 30 minutes from  camp.  I could see the campsite on the map and was hoping to make it and did.  Good timing as it was just dark when everything was done.
Got the magnificent machine through the mud and up an improvised ramp to the camp with the wheels.
Had two periods of pain,  just at the end of the day and the 3rd hour in the morning.
Good to be in the tent, heaps of mosquitoes.
50 k to Swan Hill tomorrow.

1524 kilometres from the mouth – same as yesterday

Made this attachment for the wheels so it doesn’t dint the beautiful machine.

Going to look a bit weird on the back but function over looks will have to be the case this time.
Washing done,  resupplied and everything is dry.
Barham is a nice place.  Somewhere I would like to come back to. Excellent caravan park.
Going to be an interesting day tomorrow.  I have planned for a daylight start.